It Ain't No Crime

Album: Real Things (2007)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In this song, Joe Nichols plays the part of a guy who spends his days in his front yard, soaking up the sun and alternating between the lounge chair and the kiddie pool. His neighbors are horrified by his indolence and try to jolt a little ambition into him, to no avail. "It ain't no crime," he tells them, "if I wanna kick back and kill a little time."

    "It's a fun song to sing," Nichols told The Boot. "It kind of brings out the lazy in people, and I'm glad to do that."
  • "It Ain't No Crime" is one of many clever, lighthearted songs in Joe Nichols' catalog - his most famous song on this list is "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off," released two years earlier in 2005.
  • The guy in this song has different girls coming by all the time, which ain't no crime. When the song was released on his 2007 album Real Things, Nichols was one of the most eligible bachelors in country music, but that changed just a few months later when he married Heather Singleton, whom he first started dating back in 1995 when he was 18. They were on-again, off-again for many years - Joe says it took him a lot longer to mature than she did.
  • The song was written by Tom Shapiro, Tony Martin and Mark Nesler. The trio also wrote Josh Turner's "Time Is Love" and Keith Urban's "You Look Good In My Shirt."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Don Felder

Don FelderSongwriter Interviews

Don breaks down "Hotel California" and other songs he wrote as a member of the Eagles. Now we know where the "warm smell of colitas" came from.

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.